Evidence of how last minute HP's decision to drop TouchPad was comes in the form of news that the firm is to manufacturer another batch of the tablets in a few week's time.

The company hasn't had a change of heart, however. Rather, the final run is will simply use up parts ordered before the tablet was discontinued.

Rapid response

Detailed in a blog post by HP representative Mark Budgell, the firm pitched the new batch of devices as a response to "unfulfilled demand".

"Since we announced the price drop, the number of inquiries about the product and the speed at which it disappeared from inventory has been stunning," Budgell said in the entry.

"I think it's safe to say we were pleasantly surprised by the response."

While it's expected the new run will be offered at the circa $100 price point that saw the last batch fly off the shelves, the new influx of hardware will be restricted to the North American market, meaning those eager to pick up webOS's sign off in the UK or Europe will miss out.

Eyes on America

"There will be no additional products available in EMEA [Europe, the Middle East and Africa] beyond what is currently available," HP said In a statement obtained by the Guardian.

"A limited quantity of TouchPads will be available in the coming weeks in North America only.

"In EMEA we are discontinuing the webOS hardware operations and will not offer any additional products beyond what might be currently available in selective outlets."

Existing European owners, however, will benefit from an OTA update to the platform, while speculation continues than a major manufacturer could be considering buying the OS off HP.

[source: HP]